Packaging at NYX Cosmetics Is On An Upward 'Curve'

 

Cristina Bartolucci, chief creative director, NYX Cosmetics.

Cristina Bartolucci recently joined NYX Cosmetics as chief creative director, coincidentally, just as the brand was honored with HBA’s prestigious IPDA packaging award in the Mass Cosmetics category for its bestselling eyeliner called The Curve.

With a company already so obviously on-track with cool and sophisticated packaging—and known as being a professional makeup line that offers a full assortment of “affordable luxury” makeup products— Bartolucci arrives with big plans.

A veteran of the beauty industry and co-founder of the cult brand, DuWop Cosmetics, she will work alongside NYX’s founder and chief creative officer, Toni K., providing leadership and support in the areas of product development and overall brand strategy and creative.

Bartolucci brings more than 20 years of experience in the beauty industry to her new role at NYX. She began her career as a makeup artist for A-list celebrities, and later served as vice president of innovation for Roberts Cosmetics. While chief creative officer of DuWop, the cult brand launched innovative products such as Lip Venom—the first ever lip plumper.

Beauty Packaging had the opportunity to ask Bartolucci about what makes NYX Cosmetics distinct. Among other things, we learned about the importance of the brand’s global online beauty community and what the future may hold, regarding a dream breakthrough package.

Beauty Packaging: What makes NYX Cosmetics stand out from other brands?

Cristina Bartolucci: NYX was born of one woman’s vision to bring the best of beauty to the market at an amazing price point. Our founder, Toni K., has held to this philosophy for almost fourteen years. All of us share this passion and it shows in everything we do. While other companies deal with traders or second source, NYX has created meaningful relationships directly with our suppliers and works with them to bring innovation and quality to our customers.

For the first few years, NYX did this quietly and methodically, under the radar. People began to take notice and the brand grew steadily without benefit of traditional advertising.

When I first discovered NYX as a makeup artist, it blew me away, the color range, the pigment load, everything that you expect from first class formulas. With product development there is always a temptation to stay safe, producing an assortment of nudes, pinks and browns, bestsellers if you will. At NYX we offer a deep and rich assortment of these staples but we also invest in color. If you are looking for that perfect teal liner with a hint of shimmer, we are your destination.

There is also no way to overstate the role that the global online beauty community has played in the brand's rise. When fans discovered NYX, it went both viral and global. What in the nineties would have been "good word of mouth" has become a major force. To date, NYX has generated over 1.6 billion impressions on YouTube.

BP: What is your first priority upon joining NYX Cosmetics as chief creative director?

CB: I have a huge passion for beauty innovation and NYX is a very inspiring place to be in that regard. More and more, the brand is being recognized for creating fun and fascinating product. I want to continue this trend and help bring it to the next level.

I love to create based on a gap in the market, discovering what is really needed and bringing it to life. Toni K. has been doing this brilliantly for years as the ultimate makeup consumer and connoisseur. My background is in both makeup artistry and product development but we share these core values in regard to beauty.

I will be concentrating on formula innovation and deeper ingredient stories as we continue to evolve. My style is very collaborative but rather daring. If I see something that I believe in I will fight for it - and the beauty of being at NYX is that we can be really responsive to the market, while the larger brands cannot. Toni K and our CEO Scott Friedman are incredibly supportive creatively, to me and to the entire team. Their attitude is if you see it and believe in it, go for it.

BP: Where do you envision the brand in one year, three years?

CB: Just as NYX has evolved with social media over the last ten years, it has also evolved with the concept of masstige. What used to be just a marketing term has burgeoned into a full-on category. With the economic challenges we face, everyone, even the one percent, is on the hunt for value.

Because NYX offers such quality for the money, I see it breaking out and becoming the leading masstige beauty company worldwide. I know that this is a lofty goal but our growth to date bears it out. It may be more of a five-year goal, but we are well on our way.

BP: Will you add a sampling program? A spokesmodel?

CB: We are currently working with a few beauty sampling companies on a limited basis both in the U.S. and internationally. We always benefit when a new consumer tries the product so it is something we will be keeping in mind.

As far as a spokesmodel, not in the traditional sense. Our vloggers are constantly producing amazing videos that feature NYX products. They are our ultimate spokespeople. For the last two years we have celebrated them with the FACE awards, an international competition that offers $25.000 in prize money and a chance to sit down for consultations with top celebrity makeup artists like Scott Barnes and major beauty agencies like Cloutier Remix. Last year’s winner, Charis, now makes beauty vlogging her career. Instead of being hired by us, these are true NYX lovers who share their passion for the brand across all social media platforms.

BP: How did you come up with the idea of Lip Venom while at DuWop Cosmetics?

CB: I was working as the department head makeup artist on a WB television series called “Felicity.” The show was about college kids so there was

NYX Cosmetics Curve eyeliner.

always a lot of kissing going on. Sometimes we would have rehearsals in the morning and then the actors would come to the makeup chair at noon for an afternoon set call.

I noticed that when my actresses had rehearsed a kissing scene, their lips looked just beautiful, all rosy and glowing. All I had to do was add clear gloss and they were ready to shoot. My business partner and I started trying to figure out how to recreate that beautiful effect. We crushed up mustard seed and chili pepper in the kitchen, all in an attempt to slightly irritate the lips.

Eventually we discovered that a blend of essential oils including cinnamon, wintergreen and ginger would do the trick. We originally put it on the market to flush the lips a rosy color.

Women began emailing right away saying, ‘It is plumping my lips! It is plumping my lips!’ So the lip plumping category in beauty was created by DuWop, entirely by accident.

BP: Can NYX fans anticipate a lip plumper?

CB: We have a great one called Plump It Up Lip Plumper that contains a long-acting peptide blend. The lip plumping category has evolved over the years, but I would only do another one if a brilliant new technology suddenly appeared.

What really excites me now is the idea of a brand new innovation for lip. The closest thing I have seen is the gorgeous Satin Matte Lip Cream that we launched last year. Venom changed the landscape a bit in the lip category, so I would love to do that again at NYX. So much has been about eyes in the last five years. I think that lips are due for a comeback.

BP: What cosmetics tricks do you have up your sleeve for NYX?

CB: I am currently obsessed with contouring and highlighting, the idea that you can literally sculpt your features. Makeup artists have been doing it forever, but I want to bring the techniques and tools to the consumer in an easy and fun way. Many of our vloggers are expert at contouring so we have the perfect ‘education department’ to get the word out there.

Over the years working with my actresses and famous directors of photography, I learned so many tricks of the trade—little things that make a big difference. A light dusting of blush over the eyelid after makeup is done will make the whole thing pop. Tilting the head down when looking in the mirror will make dark circles stand out, making them easier to cover. Great product ideas evolve naturally from trade secrets, but you'll have to wait and see…

BP: How is NYX able to offer high-quality formulations at mass prices?

CB: Unlike traditional prestige brands, we do not pay for advertising or in-store support. We are also not paying third parties to develop product for us. We go into the laboratories and work directly with the chemists when necessary to get the best results.

Also, our packaging is sleek and elegant, but doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles. Toni K. always says that the dress should not outshine the bride. You won't see a mascara that lights up from NYX.

BP: How much attention is placed on packaging?

CB: When developing new packaging, we ask ourselves ‘Would I be proud to pull this out of my purse?’

Lately we have been adding a bit more color to our packaging palette, components that are color matched to the product inside. Not only does this add interest at point of purchase, it also helps the consumer know what they are buying, no more searching for a tiny color dot on a row of identical boxes to find your shade.

As the brand evolves, we are also using unit cartons more and more. I love this because there is more room to tell the story of the product and why it is special. That said, out of concern for the environment, we never use more packaging than we need to.

BP: Where is the packaging sourced? Can you please name a few of your suppliers?

CB: We develop turnkey so all of our components are sourced by our fillers. This is not only cost effective, it also means less issues with compatibility. Our factories use packaging materials that they know work with their formulas.

All of our pencils come from the leading manufacturer in Germany. Pencils were the very first thing that NYX produced so those relationships are very strong and productive.

We just won a Self Healthy Beauty Award—and an IPDA—for The Curve eyeliner that was developed with one of them. We also work a lot with Asia.

BP: What colors/materials/decorative techniques are used to tie the line together?

CB: Besides our recent trend toward color matching our components to formula shades, our packaging is largely black and white, invoking a clean, modern aesthetic. We do, however, always incorporate at least one fun element such as a bow-shaped clasp or a playful font.

BP: What are some of NYX’s most creative or innovative packages? What was the inspiration?

CB: I would have to say that it is The Curve eyeliner that I mentioned earlier. It has been a phenomenal success for the brand. It is a felt tip eyeliner that has a special ergonomic grip. NYX was the very first brand to launch such a distinctive shape into the marketplace.

The tagline for the product is ‘Where Form meets Function’ and that is what makes it so special. Not only is it great to look at, but the ergonomic grip gives more control, making it easier to draw that perfect cat eye. As soon as the product launched, it was sold out within a week.

At NYX we all have a passion to help women look beautiful. When we discover or create something that accomplishes this, it is very inspiring.

BP: How many products does NYX offer?

CB: More than 2000 SKUs. We are the only brand in the professional masstige category that offers such a wide selection and we are very proud of it. NYX is a professional makeup brand and we feel it is necessary for us to carry an extensive color library. We offer something for everyone and everything for someone!

BP: What are a few of your bestsellers?

CB: We have a gorgeous white Jumbo Eyeliner called Milk. It is one of the products that began the YouTube fervor for NYX. Someone discovered it and posted a video about using it as a shadow base as well as a liner. It went viral and this is now our number one selling SKU.

Our ‘tricks of the trade’ products like Shine Killer and Pore Filler as well as our Super Skinny and Super Fat liquid liners also do very well for us.

BP: What is your dream breakthrough product/package?

CB: I have had an idea kicking around in my head for years now that involves an eyelash curler and false lashes. I cannot say more…